The Cleveland Browns have acknowledged defensive end Myles Garrett’s absence from this week’s Organized Team Activities (OTAs), which are voluntary sessions.
After an offseason standoff and trade demand, Garrett agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract extension. It made Garrett the highest-paid defender in the NFL.
With the new deal signed, the Browns expressed a desire for Garrett to assume a more leadership role. He’s always produced on the field but the team wanted their star defender to set the tone for the franchise.
“What we’ve challenged Myles on is, by his practice habits, by his actions, etc., to become a real leader of the team,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told cleveland.com. “And he has said he’d do that and we’re hopeful that he will be.”
Missing OTAs — even if voluntary — isn’t an ideal look. Garrett shared photos from Japan this week while the Browns opened practice without him. When asked if he was upset over Garrett’s absence, head coach Kevin Stefanski delivered a clear response.
“No,” Stefanski said with a chuckle. “It’s really important to remember this is a voluntary program.”
Myles Garrett Has Been Called Out for Lack of Leadership
Missing OTAs usually isn’t a significant concern for established veterans, especially someone with Garrett’s resume. However, shortly after his contract extension was announced, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic shared some troubling insight about how Garrett is viewed inside the organization.
“It’s well known within the Browns that Garrett is frequently late to the facility. He has skipped mandatory team activities on multiple occasions,” Lloyd said. “Veterans typically police the locker room on those types of things and create the culture of accountability, but here, it’s the best player breaking the rules. That has to change now.”
Garrett has expressed that he wants to grow into more of a leader for Cleveland.
“I’ll continue to be the person that I have been,” he said. “And I think just being that constant leader, I don’t think you can put a dollar sign on that at any time. Leaders come from guys who are undrafted to guys who are the highest paid. It doesn’t take a playmaker to be a leader, nor does it take, like I said, a dollar sign. So continue to learn to be more and more a leader every year and every day.”
Browns Rookies Eager to Learn From Myles Garrett
There’s little concern that Garrett will be ready for the season. He’s a workout warrior and is heading into his third season with Jim Schwartz as his defensive coordinator. However, his presence could go a long way in chemistry building with new teammates, particularly the rookie class.
“He’s a freak,” Browns first-round pick Mason Graham said of Garrett after being drafted. “I want to surround myself by him. He’s done it at the highest level for a long time and is the best at what he does. That’s a good guy to look up to.”
Attendance for OTAs is still voluntary for the next two weeks until the beginning of mandatory veteran minicamp, set for June 10-12.
